The dancer said she was surprised when Mistry, who she met when they were paired up on the show in 2010, proposed during a romantic break in the new year.

She told Hello! Magazine: "I think we're still a little bit in shock."

Cacace, 34, said the 40-year-old Mistry got down on one knee to present her with a square-shaped diamond engagement ring set in platinum.

She said: "I tend to laugh easily, whereas he was a bit more emotional. I was trying to calm him down. But it was so special and lovely."

The Italian-born star said the pair, whose romance began after Mistry was voted off the BBC ballroom show, complement each other because they are so different.

She said: "I've had a unique life with my dancing, my whole life has revolved around it, so I didn't go through a 'normal' adolescence. Whereas Jimi has had a more normal life - university, drama school.

"He's quite a chilled person whereas I'm disciplined and hard working - probably too much. He's more, 'Let's have a weekend away'. On the other hand he now goes to the gym, eats his greens and his vitamins. I appreciate him calming me down when I need to, and I get the whip out when it's gym time."

The couple have not set a date for their wedding - or worked out their first dance. "We'll have to find a song first," Cacace joked.